ASCEND™ - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
Job Titles:
- Senior Consultant, Deloitte Risk & Financial Advisory / CELP Communications Lead
Aggie has over 8 years of experience in both public and private sectors. She specializes in business continuity, COOP, emergency management, pandemic planning, and crisis management and response. Known for her client focus, she leverages her federal government knowledge and interagency experience to add value to her federal clients. Aggie has a strong background in public service, including roles at the White House, FEMA, and NIH.
As a first-generation Filipino-American immigrant and the first in her family to enter the consulting field, she is dedicated to actively championing the Pan-Asian community. Her goal is to foster the rise of AAPI leaders across various industries, shattering the historical barriers that limited their access to executive-level roles.
Job Titles:
- Board Chair for APIA Scholars
- Senior VP of Global Talent Acquisition at Nielsen
Aimée Meher-Homji is the Senior VP of Global Talent Acquisition at Nielsen and is Executive Sponsor of its Native American BRG. Previously, she was the VP of Talent Acquisition at Adidas and a member of its Global DEI Council. Prior to that Aimée served as the VP of Talent Acquisition at Sodexo also served as Co-Executive Sponsor for PANG, Sodexo's Asian American EBRG. Ms. Meher-Homji's career spans 20+ years of experience in talent acquisition, sales and strategy across the public and private sectors on a global platform. Her experience also includes leadership roles include the Global Inclusion & Diversity Recruiting Lead and the Global Operations Lead for Leadership Recruiting at Accenture.
Previously, Ms. Meher-Homji spent a number of years in executive search where her client work included placing Board Directors, CEOs, Presidents, and C-Suite Executives across multiple industries. She was a Partner and Leader of Global Development at Korn Ferry for eight years and also served on the firm's Diversity & Inclusion Council. Previously, she was at Russell Reynolds Associates where she worked across multiple industries and launched operations to establish the firm's presence in India. Earlier in her career, she served as a global relationship manager for Fortune 500 companies at the Corporate Executive Board where she managed clients within the U.S. and Australia.
Ms. Meher-Homji is the Board Chair for APIA Scholars, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Society for International Development, and the International Public Management Association for HR, and has served on the boards of Girl Rising and the YWCA USA. She currently serves on Gartner's Recruiting Customer Advisory Board. She holds a M.A. degree in International Affairs and Economics from Old Dominion University and a B.A. degree in International Studies and English Literature from Aquinas College.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
- Member of the Planning Team
- CEI Webmaster
Alana's experience is in web development and maintenance of web sites and graphics design ranging from community service to technical web sites.
Alana's background includes converting existing web site's outdated coding to meet today's web code standards, 508 guidelines, as well as the latest web & usability standards and organic SEO. Alana owned webEvolutionary services for over 19 years and enjoys volunteering for Non Profits and as well honing her crafting skills.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
- Member of the Planning Team
- Senior Consultant at Deloitte / CELP PMO
Alex has two years of Appian consulting experience with Appian Level 2 credential, and additional 2 years of other technical consulting. Lead Appian developer for Impact Aid for Department of Education since November 2019, where the team continues to deliver new functionality and operations and maintenance capabilities for a complex grant management system.
Job Titles:
- Partner, PwC
- Principal in the Forensics Practice of PwC Advisory
Dr. Hadjarian is a Principal in the Forensics practice of PwC Advisory. He is a data scientist with over 25 years of experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing and a doctoral degree in the same area. He is the chief architect of a number of AI-powered products and solutions used by clients in a wide array of industries. His research has resulted in dozens of publications and patents.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the CEI Executive Leadership Team
- Member of the Executives Team
- Executive Advisor, Ascend National Former HSBC - EVP, Strategic Implementation ( Regulation ) for North America
Amy has spent over 20 years in the financial services industry, with significant time spent in front office, support and consulting roles. Amy holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS from Stanford University. Most recently she was EVP, Strategic Implementation (Regulation) for HSBC, North America, where she was responsible for coordinating key regulatory responses for the Bank including managing the implementation of the Dodd-Frank legislation. Prior to HSBC, she held positions at Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, Bear Stearns, Bank of America and MMG Partners.
Amy is a strong advocate for enhancing workplace diversity. While at HSBC, she was a member of US Diversity Council and served as Chairperson to the employee networking group for Asians and Pacific Islanders. Amy continues her advocacy efforts for the community as an Executive Advisor to ASCEND, the largest, non-profit Pan-Asian organization for business professionals in North America with the mission of enhancing the presence and influence of current and future Pan-Asian business leaders and serve as a collective voice for Pan-Asian business communities.
Amy and her husband live in Maryland and are recent empty nesters after sending their son off to college.
Job Titles:
- Founder of Kovexa
- Member of the Virginia State Board of Education
Andrew Ko is the Founder of Kovexa an advisory company assisting education institutions modernize education by accelerating technology companies that create pathways for high-tech skills and drive the use of advanced machine learning improve education. He is also a partner at a venture capital firm based in Silicon Valley.
Prior to his companies, Andrew was the Managing Director at Amazon Web Services for Global Education and Workforce where he was responsible for education business growing double digital annually while creating new programs for upskilling and creating new incubation sites in over 30 countries. These initiatives created innovative solutions with cloud-based solutions for EdTechs, Higher Education Institutions, and K-12 systems improving student outcomes and enabling the workforce.
Prior to joining Amazon, Andrew was the Corporate Vice President of Samsung Global Education, based in South Korea, where he launched mobile learning solutions for Education in Croatia, India, Italy and the U.S.
Andrew was also General Manager for Microsoft Corporation's U.S. Education business where he led efforts implementing cloud solutions across the U.S., creating the Microsoft Innovative Educator Program, and leading the White House ConnectED initiative that enabled a billion-dollar technology investment towards the U.S. education system and was recognized during President Obama's State of the Union.
In January 2014, Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed Andrew as a member of the Virginia State Board of Education and in 2016, he was appointed to the Virginia's School Readiness Committee for improving the early childhood education workforce in the Commonwealth. In 2018, Governor Ralph Northam appointed Andrew to the Online Virginia Network Authority for the purpose of providing a means for individuals to earn degrees and postsecondary education credentials to online degree and credential programs.
Currently, Andrew serves on several appointed boards including Virginia's Innovation Partnership Authority and the Northern Virginia Community Foundation board.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Accenture
Anita brings 20 years of management and technology consulting experience supporting clients with the implementation of large complex programs and strategies across the US federal government. She is a Managing Director with Accenture currently serving as the growth and strategy lead for Accenture's federal civilian portfolio, an $900M+ business. In this role, Anita has responsibility for all new business and strategic growth initiatives across Accenture's work with federal civilian agencies, independent, and non-profit organizations.
Anita has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Richmond, serves on the boards of Leadership Greater Washington and Education Pioneers, and is a member of the Junior League of Washington. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and enjoys travel, running, trying new restaurants, and spending time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
- Manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP / CEI Communications Management
Annie has over 8 years of experience in IT Service Management application and product implementation and related upgrades as well as asset management lifecycle optimization and supply chain and procurement strategy. Her experience includes all aspects of project planning, execution, and program management oversight, developing and implementing strategies to optimize large scale technology solutions and support operational transitions, and governance and business process development.
Outside of her career, she enjoys traveling with her little family, hiking with her dogs, riding her Peloton bike, and reading
Job Titles:
- VP of Clinical Programs and Evaluation, CareFirst
Arif joined CareFirst in October of 2013 and serves as the Vice President of Clinical Programs and Evaluation. He oversees five key areas within medical affairs: Pharmacy Management, Home Based/Post-Acute Care Services. Telehealth and Member Connectivity, Substance Use Disorder Program, and Program Evaluation.
In this role, he is responsible for program and policy development, vendor management, and contract compliance related to the care management programs that surround the CareFirst Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH). Some key programs amidst these areas of work include formulary management, specialty pharmacy, remote patient monitoring, addiction support, telemedicine, hospice and palliative care, and others. The centralization of these elements under Arif's leadership is intended to create a connected, impactful array of services to help CareFirst membership obtain high quality care, at the right time, at an affordable cost.
Prior to joining CareFirst, Arif spent his career in management and strategy consulting in the healthcare space and eventually helped start a consulting firm in Washington, DC in 2009. He has expertise in procurement and implementation, organizational restructuring, business process improvement, and vendor management for health plans.
In addition, Arif is actively involved in the community. He serves as Secretary for the Board of Directors of Baltimore Medical System, the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in the region. BMS provides care for more than 50,000 patients in the Baltimore area, including the uninsured, refugee, and underserved populations. He also serves as Treasurer for the Board of Directors of the Our Three Winners Foundation. OTWF oversees a $1,000,000 endowment created to combat biases against ethnic and religious minorities and facilitate philanthropic work in the honor of three students in North Carolina whose lives were tragically cut short by a hate crime.
Arif has an undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan Flagler Business School. He was recently recognized with the Maryland Chamber of Commerce's Rising Star Award, the Daily Record's "Successful by 40" VIP List, and the Baltimore Business Journal's 40 under 40 Award.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Deloitte
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Chief Marketing and Revenue Operations Officer, CoreLogic
Bhavini is currently VP, Chief Marketing and Revenue Operations Officer at CoreLogic, which acquired Roostify, a fintech, B2B SaaS company, where she helped lead the organization through a period of rapid growth, maturing business operations and setting them up for future success.
Job Titles:
- Technology Consulting Manager at Accenture
Carolyn is an experienced functional lead for Oracle Federal Financials with over 10 years of IT experience in system management including the direct supervision of IT software development, integration, maintenance projects. She has extensively contributed in the full life cycle of implementation which involves planning, designing, testing, and deploying Oracle Financials, Oracle BI and Compusearch PRISM.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
- Manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP / CEI Executive Relationship Management
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Advisory Team
- Senior Manager, Deloitte
Job Titles:
- Vice President
- Vice President, CGI
Dave Kwon is a Vice President within CGI Federal's Civilian Business Unit. He has more than 20 years of business and technology consulting experience leading his clients through digital transformation, large scale implementations and ongoing sustainment activities.
For the past year, Dave has been overseeing all delivery across CGI's Treasury and PBGC programs. Prior to that, he focused on supporting VA through its enterprise financial and acquisitions management business transformation program. Dave is also actively engaged with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) initiatives and serves as CGI Federal's executive sponsor for the Asian American Pacific Islander Member Resource Group.
Dave has a Master of Science from Northwestern University. In addition, he holds a PMP as well as a Prosci Change Management certification.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
- Senior Manager at Accenture
- Technology Strategist
Deepak is a technology strategist with deep implementation experience-helping clients simplify their IT to accelerate Digital Transformation. As a Senior Manager at Accenture, Deepak is responsible for leading client transformations, tracking technology trends, and communicating insights and perspectives. His past clients include organizations in the Federal government, high-tech, and other industries.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
- Member of the Planning Team
- Managing Director, Deloitte Consulting LLP
- Managing Director, Deloitte Consulting LLP / CEI PMO Co - Lead and CELP Advisor
- Senior Manager at Deloitte Consulting
- Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP / CEI PMO Co - Lead and CELP Advisor
Joy was promoted to Managing Director in 2023 and possesses over 15 years of information technology experience in government consulting where she has managed the implementation of complex applications across the full software development life cycles (SDLC).
Her skill sets include a wide range of custom development and support capabilities for various technology stacks (e.g. Java, .Net, BMC Remedy, Cognos, and Business Objects). Additionally, Joy has driven the implementation of several modernization efforts such mobile adoption, Business Intelligence (BI) integration, technology upgrades, Agile transformation, and testing automation.
For over 10 years, Joy has worked for Deloitte Consulting, LLP. She is currently a Senior Manager in the Government and Public Sector practice and primarily supports custom application development and technology modernization projects in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sector.
In her spare time, Joy loves to travel and learn about different cultures and history. To date, she has travelled to 26 countries and her last international trip was to Israel and Jordan. She has expanded her domestic travel experience and just returned from a trip to Alaska. Her love for travel and exploration stems from constantly living in various places as a military brat in the Navy.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
- Member of the Planning Team
- Senior Manager
- Senior Manager With Accenture Federal Services
Grace Flaak is a Senior Manager with Accenture Federal Services / CELP Cohort 6 Co-Lead
Grace is responsible for delivery of an 80+ resource project supporting 24/7/365 Operations.
She previously managed service delivery for high-profile clients across both commercial and government sectors nationwide. Grace enjoys developing high-performance professional teams and building effective collaborative relationships.
Grace graduated from UVA and currently lives in Loudoun County with her husband and 2 young children. Her spare time is filled with her children's activities but in her extra spare time, Grace enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading a good book, and eating.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of SAP National Security Services
- SVP, SAP National Security Services
Harish Luthra is the chief executive officer of SAP National Security Services (SAP NS2®). He is responsible for the SAP Intelligent Enterprise Cloud, SAP Industry Cloud, and the SAP Business Technology Platform (including Digital Supply Chain) for public sector and regulated industries. The markets SAP NS2 Cloud serves include United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Harish joined SAP in August 1997 as a consultant and started the Federal Professional Services practice for SAP in 1999. He became the national vice president leading the SAP Public Services Consulting business in 2008, responsible for Professional Services sales and delivery to the Federal government (U.S. DoD and Civilian Departments/Agencies), state and local governments, aerospace and defense corporations, and higher education institutions. Harish has experience in client engagement, program management, and project implementations. As a senior consulting leader with SAP, he was responsible for leading successful program oversight, staff development in North America, and business development.
In previous roles, Harish was the liaison with SAP solution management and SAP development to ensure the success of client engagements. As the Public Services leader, he served as the executive sponsor for successful implementations at IRS IFS, USPS Human Capital Enterprise, U.S. Army Medical Material Agency SAP (TWELS), City of Portland, Commonwealth of Kentucky, and City of San Diego implementations, among others.
Harish holds an MBA from University of Maryland, College Park.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Advisory Team
- Economist at IRS
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Co - Founder and CEO of Piedmont Fund Services, Inc
Prior to co-founding Piedmont in 2005, Ian was with the global asset management division at Ernst & Young in New York, where he oversaw the audits of hedge funds, private equity funds, fund of funds, broker-dealers, and mutual funds clients with assets under management ranging from $100 million to $200 billion. In addition, Ian served on various consulting projects including internal control reviews, forensic accounting, and internal audit outsourcing. At EY, Ian also served as the first Co-Chair of EY/Asia for the Tri-State Area. An entrepreneur at heart, Ian started his first business in his college dorm room at UC Santa Barbara.
Ian Asvakovith is the Co-Founder and CEO of Piedmont Fund Services, Inc., an award-winning fund administrator for hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, and institutional investors headquartered in the Washington DC Metro area with offices in New York, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila. At Piedmont, Ian advises his clients from pre-launch to various stages of their business lifecycle. As a member of Piedmont's leadership committee, Ian is responsible for developing growth strategies and long-term vision for the firm. Ian is a frequent speaker at alternative investment conferences and investor roundtables. Ian was recognized as Top 10 Best CEOs by Industry Era Magazine and 2020 Top Hedge Fund Solution Provider for Piedmont's technology innovation in the marketplace. Ian is also an honoree for 2021 Ascend Trailblazer Award for his leadership and commitment to the Asian American business community.
Ian is a certified public accountant (Inactive) in the State of California. Ian is a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in Business Economics with Accounting Emphasis. Ian serves on the executive committee/board of directors for a number of professional organizations and is actively involved with various charitable organizations in the Washington DC Metro area. Ian resides in Northern Virginia with his wife and three young children.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for National Security Policy at the National Foreign Trade Council
- VP, National Security Policy, National Foreign Trade Council
Jeannette L. Chu is Vice President for National Security Policy at the National Foreign Trade Council, the leading business association dedicated to advancing the interests of U.S. companies in international commerce.
In this role, she leads efforts to advance the interests of U.S. business in safeguarding U.S. national security and promoting global security through export controls, sanctions regimes and policy initiatives.
A recognized subject matter expert and thought leader on export controls and trade sanctions, Jeannette joins NFTC from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where she served as a Senior Managing Director advising U.S. and multinational companies and co-leading the national security regulatory compliance practice. She will continue to hold a concurrent role as a non-resident senior associate with the Trustee Chair for Chinese Business and Economics at the Center for Strategic and International Affairs (CSIS).
She previously served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Department of Commerce where she worked on export control reform, export licensing and foreign policy matters. She also served at the American Embassy in Beijing and the U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou in several capacities including as the Senior Export Control Attaché for nearly six years, conducting end-use visits to more than 250 locations across China and negotiating a landmark export control cooperation agreement with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. She was the first Officer-In-Charge of the Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) in China.
Jeannette received her B.A. in Political Science from American University in Washington, D.C. and is a 2020 graduate of Women in Technology's Leadership Foundry program on preparing women for corporate board service. She serves on the Executive Board of Ascend Greater Washington and volunteers as a mentor for Ascend's Corporate Executive Leadership Program, the Women's Foreign Policy Group and Women in Technology.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
- Deloitte Consulting, Thought Leadership
- Senior Consultant, Deloitte Consulting LLP / CEI Thought Leadership
Jeffrey has over seven years of actuarial experience specializing in health insurance products and Medicaid. His experience includes brokering medical, accident, disability, life, and retirement benefits for multinational corporations and performing data analytics on health and Medicaid benefits for state and local government and higher education organizations. He also is an experienced academic and medical researcher, co-authoring scientific journal articles and a textbook chapter. In his free time, Jeffrey enjoys sports and outdoor activities, and likes to relax by watching streaming services.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
- Manager, Deloitte and Touche LLP / CEI Event / Schedule Management
- Manager, Deloitte and Touche LLP / CELP Content Program Management
- Manager, Deloitte and Touche LLP CEI Event / Schedule Management CELP Content Management
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
Job Titles:
- Partner, EY
- Principal in the Government and Public Sector Practice of Ernst & Young LLP
Juhee Williamson is a Principal in the Government and Public Sector practice of Ernst & Young LLP (EY). She has over 20 years of experience tackling challenges in the IT security, risk, control, and audit space, including two years of experience at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) as an Inspections Specialist. Juhee specializes in the delivery of IT risk assurance and advisory services including IT audits in support of internal audits, financial statement audits, IT security, ERP integrity and third-party assurance and reporting.
She holds two degrees from Carnegie Mellon University: Masters of Information Systems and Master of Arts Management, in addition to a MA in Musicology from Seoul National University. She is a CISA, CISM and CISPP.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Managing Director, Accenture
Kal is a leader with an infectious "can do" attitude that delivers results by building high performing teams, cultivating trusted client relationships, leveraging deep industry and broad consulting experience. At Accenture, Kal is a member of the Executive Leadership team for company's largest clients generating over $100M in profitable annual revenues through delivery of Consulting (Management & Strategy) and Outsourcing (BPO, ITO, & Digital) Services. Kal is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, a Chartered Financial Analyst, and earned his Master's in Electrical Engineering and MBA. Kal is also an FAA certified aircraft mechanic with Airframe and Powerplant designations. Kal lives in Northern Virginia with his family.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
Kevin is passionate about developing meaningful strategies in helping clients become more productive and cost-efficient.
Kevin's work experience spans across multiple sectors all around the globe - Hospitality, Government & Public Services, Gaming Industry, Shared Services, and Non-profit. He has led and supported a series of operations in North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
Currently at Hilton, Kevin is responsible for leading and managing several projects around the areas of process improvement and intelligent automation in the U.S. and Europe.
Job Titles:
- Deloitte Consulting Principal
- Principal, Deloitte
Lance is a Deloitte Consulting Principal focused on strategy and operations transformation in the Health industry.
Over his career, Lance has served a wide range of clients in the provider, payer, and life sciences sectors, and brings an integrated perspective to addressing issues in the U.S. health system.
Lance is deeply involved in Deloitte's inclusion strategy and currently serves as the Partner Champion for Deloitte's Greater Washington Area Asian Business Resource Group.
Lance earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles and an M.B.A. from New York University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Advisory Team
- Principal at Elletiene Property Partners
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President of Corporate Growth Strategy for Kofax
Liz is passionate about advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She has spent the last decade engaging in the Pan-Asian business community in the Greater Washington Area (GWA), currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors at Ascend GWA Chapter. She has also served as the Ascend GWA Corporate Executive Initiative and Corporate Executive Leadership Program PMO Lead and Inspiring Across Generations Conference Chair. Having had mentors and many inspirations in the Pan-Asian community, she has endeavored to support other colleagues and students in the Pan-Asian community through professional development and community programs.
Liz is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Growth Strategy for Kofax, an intelligent automation software provider, where she drives global corporate growth, product strategy, customer experience, strategic alliances, and internal cross-functional alignment. She focuses on operational excellence and creating enterprise value in recurring revenue models. She previously led the Conversational Artificial Intelligence practice for Deloitte across the federal, state, and local government and higher education markets.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
- Manager at Accenture
- Program & Project Management Senior Manager at Accenture Federal Services
- Program & Project Management Senior Manager at Accenture Federal Services / CELP Advisor
Margaret Erickson is a Sr. Manager at Accenture with over 16 years of experience in the industry. She has extensive experience in program/project management and in leading and delivering large scale system implementations. In her current role Margaret leads Strategy and Growth for her account. She is also passionate about I&D and serves as her accounts I&D champion.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
- Principal, Deloitte and Touche LLP / CELP Content Management
Michele has over 19 years of experience in the cyber risk services field serving both public and private sectors. Her experiences include developing and implementing cybersecurity strategies, developing zero trust programs, creating audit readiness programs, navigating large IT modernization programs, establishing comprehensive cyber risk programs, and performing security assessments. In her spare time, Michele enjoys traveling, spending time with her family, and trying new restaurants.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Accenture Federal Service
Mimi leads Responsible AI at Accenture Federal Services. Having spent the first part of her career on improving citizens' access to health supplies for international non-profits, she is passionate about the concept of equity, how technology can effect change, and is particularly excited about the benefits that AI can bring to transform our lives. Mimi received her MBA from George Mason University and her BA from the University of Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CEI Executive Leadership Team
- Member of the Executives Team
- Retired Partner in Pw
Rakesh Bhatia is a retired partner in PwC and led the Global Business Services practice in the US. He had 35+ years of progressive leadership experience in sales, delivery, and operations for consulting and outsourcing with P&L responsibilities and working with global clients in Healthcare, Energy, Telecom, Media, and Technology industries. He was focused on the Fit-for-Growth platform and helping C-Suite clients in driving Operational and Financial Transformation, Strategy, Change management, Global Business Services, Organization Redesign and Automation benefits.
Rakesh served as the Transformation Office Leader to drive Transformation to the "The New Equation" Strategy across PwC Consulting Solutions Organization.
Rakesh has a deep experience of not only advising clients in leveraging their investments in the global delivery and shared services operations, but he has also operated delivery centers and CoEs in multiple countries to have a practical hands on knowledge of the opportunities and constraints while managing such operations.
As a PwC US partner and Service Delivery Network (SDN) leader, Rakesh had overall accountability for building scale, managing operations in multiple countries, driving adoption, resources, delivery, automation and quality control in the Acceleration Centers worldwide.
Currently, he also serves as a Global Relationship Partner for a large software industry client.
Before joining PwC, as a partner in KPMG, Rakesh was also the global relationship partner for Fortune 50 Telecom client and as Senior Vice President, led the global delivery for BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting).
Rakesh also has an extensive experience in sales and marketing. He led business development organization in the US and South America for one of the largest System Integrator.
Rakesh has served on multiple boards including the Board Chair, PwC Acceleration Centers in India & China, Executive Board member of PwC Charitable Foundation (Humanitarian/Disaster Response Leader), President of Pratham DC Board, and Advisory Board Member of Ascend DC Chapter.
Rakesh has a degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from University of Delhi. He has been an invited speaker in many industries and universities forums for Telecom, Broadband convergence, outsourcing trends,speaker program management and global consulting landscape. Rakesh was one of the keynote speakers for the Ascend Annual convention, 2013 - "Innovative Leadership in the Borderless World."
Rakesh lives in Great Falls, VA with his wife and two adult children.
Job Titles:
- VP of Risk and Finance & Head of Investor Relations, Freddie Mac
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director, Deloitte
Rich Chang is a Managing Director in the Deloitte Risk and Financial Advisory practice. Rich has over 20 years of experience, 9+ at Deloitte, solving the cybersecurity challenges of the United States Federal Government. He has a wide breadth of skills and knowledge areas including identity and access management, biometrics, cybersecurity policy and standards, and implementation of cybersecurity tools and technology. At Deloitte, he has been a trusted advisor across the Federal Government, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
He is also involved in leading and driving large cybersecurity opportunities across the federal market. In addition to his role in the marketplace, Rich has a passion for mentoring and developing the next generation of leaders. He has taken an active role in coaching minorities internal and external to Deloitte.
In his free time, he attempts to play golf, actively searches for hidden food treasures, and with his wife volunteers for animal rescue organizations, doing their best to not be failed fosters.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director, Deloitte
Roger is a managing director in the firm's Government & Public Sector (GPS) practice. As a member of the GPS Sales Excellence leadership team, he serves as the sector lead for the Federal Civilian client relationship executive (CRE) community and is the CRE for the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior accounts. Roger graduated from The George Washington University with a MBA in International Business in 1995, where he was the GW Graduate Business School Administration Award winner, and with a BA in Economics from Bates College in 1991, where he was a two-sport athlete.
With his parents immigrating to Washington, DC, from the Philippines in the early 1960s, Roger and his two brothers are first-generation American. A native Washingtonian, Roger grew up in Rockville, MD, and attended Georgetown Prep for high school. Roger lives in Potomac, MD, with his wife, Lisa, and daughters, Shea, a sophomore at Oberlin College, and Avery, a sophomore at the Holton Arms School. Active in the community, he also serves on the board of the Potomac Chapter of US Lacrosse.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Contact PMO Team
- Senior Manager at Deloitte
- Senior Manager, Deloitte Consulting LLP / CEI PMO Co - Lead
Ruma is a Senior Manager at Deloitte in the Cloud Engineering Offering. She brings more than 15 years of experience leading large-scale modernization projects that enable business transformation for federal clients through Agile implementation, business model transformation, and innovation. Her primary area of expertise focuses on IT project management of application modernization efforts. Ruma has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Science in Information Systems Technology. Ruma is very passionate about women in technology and promoting diversity in the workplace.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director With Accenture Federal Services
- Managing Director, Accenture
Rupal is a Managing Director with Accenture Federal Services. She serves as the Client Account Lead for Accenture's work at a number of Financial Regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), and Farm Credit Administration (FCA), where she is responsible for sales and project delivery. At these clients, teams focus on cloud-based platform solutions and cloud migrations for business and IT solutions. Key technologies being delivered include Drupal/Acquia, ServiceNow, CI/CD Development Tools, and Data Science solutions.
Rupal joined Accenture in 2001 and has supported projects at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service, the USDA Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of Education prior to her current role. She holds PMP and ITIL certifications, recently graduated from Leadership Arlington (2019) and serves on the Board with Aspire! After School Learning.
A native of Cleveland, OH, Rupal graduated from The Ohio State University (OH!) with a B.S. in Computer Science. Rupal lives in Arlington, VA with her husband and daughter.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
Job Titles:
- Managing Director at Accenture
Sara joined Accenture after graduating from Johns Hopkins with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1996. She leads Accenture's Johns Hopkins University entry-level recruiting effort. She also is the Executive sponsor of Accenture's Asian Pacific American Employee Resource Group. Sara leads Accenture's relationship with a number of strategic nonprofits including The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), the Asian American Business Development Center (AABDC), and Ascend. In addition to all of those she has a passion for supporting and promoting Women in Tech!
Sara Abiusi is Managing Director at Accenture. Sara leads Accenture Federal's Quality and Risk and is the Deputy Director of Delivery. She focuses on improving our risk posture, increasing our delivery capabilities, and supporting our account teams. Sara has served as the Technology Lead for our Civilian Portfolio of work over the past 5 years and has expertise in complex multi-tower software delivery, scaled agile and delivering the most complex programs for our clients. Former clients include other federal and state and local agencies. Sara is chair of the AFS Inclusion and Diversity Council made of representatives across the business who develop strategies and initiatives for the AFS CEO.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Accenture
Job Titles:
- CEO and Founder of Vikara Risk
- CEO and Founder of Vikara Risk and Compliance Solutions
- CEO and Founder, Vikara Risk and Compliance LLC
Urvi Bham Urvi Bham is the CEO and Founder of Vikara Risk and Compliance Solutions, a boutique advisory firm focused on transforming the risk and regulatory compliance landscape in the financial services industry.
Prior to starting her venture, Urvi worked at Bank of America as Senior Vice President (SVP) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) where she was highly successful in developing firm-wide risk and control strategies to address global complex issues, towards sustaining a strong risk culture within the Bank's risk appetite. Urvi's Executive Mentors | 2 background also includes leadership tenure with Freddie Mac, America Online and Ernst & Young LLP.
She is highly regarded for developing next generation leaders and leading diverse multi-disciplinary teams through direct and indirect influence.
Urvi is a strong advocate for her community and consistently reaches back to pay it forward. At Bank of America, Urvi sponsored the Asian Leadership Network. She is an Advisory Board Member for Ascend Greater Philadelphia Chapter, a member of the Ascend Greater Washington Corporate Executive Leadership team, a motivational speaker, and an executive coach.
Urvi holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh. Urvi resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and two children.
Aimée Meher-Homji is the Senior VP of Global Talent Acquisition at Nielsen and is Executive Sponsor of its Native American BRG. Previously, she was the VP of Talent Acquisition at Adidas and a member of its Global DEI Council. Prior to that Aimée served as the VP of Talent Acquisition at Sodexo also served as Co-Executive Sponsor for PANG, Sodexo's Asian American EBRG. Ms. Meher-Homji's career spans 20+ years of experience in talent acquisition, sales and strategy across the public and private sectors on a global platform. Her experience also includes leadership roles include the Global Inclusion & Diversity Recruiting Lead and the Global Operations Lead for Leadership Recruiting at Accenture.
Previously, Ms. Meher-Homji spent a number of years in executive search where her client work included placing Board Directors, CEOs, Presidents, and C-Suite Executives across multiple industries. She was a Partner and Leader of Global Development at Korn Ferry for eight years and also served on the firm's Diversity & Inclusion Council. Previously, she was at Russell Reynolds Associates where she worked across multiple industries and launched operations to establish the firm's presence in India. Earlier in her career, she served as a global relationship manager for Fortune 500 companies at the Corporate Executive Board where she managed clients within the U.S. and Australia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CELP Planning Team
- Business Leader
- Business Manager at Salesforce
Uyen is an accomplished business leader and trusted advisor with over 17 years in Medtech and healthcare life sciences spanning provider, medical and surgical devices, biologics, pharmaceuticals, robotics, software, and digital technologies. With over 10 years in leadership and management roles, Uyen has also led teams through change management and several M&A integrations, 3 being multi-billion-dollar acquisitions. Consistent results and recognized excellence led to being the first and only female sales leader in her division at Wright Medical and business unit at Stryker, and serving on several executive strategy committees, advisory councils, and corporate partners teams. Transitioning into the tech industry, Uyen now works with healthcare and life science startups and growth companies in the U.S. and Canada to transform, scale, and drive better business decisions with the world's leading data analytics platform, Tableau - now part of Salesforce.
Uyen is a first generation American whose parents were Vietnam War refugees, sponsored and immigrated to the U.S., and achieved the American dream running a family business in the DMV for over 30 years. They taught her appreciation and honor for the freedoms and opportunities we have, and instilled a grit, drive, and faith in her that is deeply rooted. Passionate about serving others, Uyen strives to do so through her work. She loves being active, sports, comedy shows; her favorite times are spent with her family, especially her husband and daughter.
Wes is an executive advisor and co-developer of Stanford University's Graduate School of Business, Asian American Executive Program. He also serves as an executive advisor to Ascend. He was previously an officer and served on Ascend's national board.
Wes was formerly a global executive at the IBM corporation. He has held several senior executive positions throughout Asia, Europe, and the US. He has been responsible for multiple international lines of business, global sales and operations, the Venture Capital Group, and business development assignments for emerging markets.
Wes was also the first Pan-Asian American to be appointed Executive Assistant in IBM's corporate office, serving the Chairman, CEO, President, CFO, and Senior Vice President of Human Resources.
He chaired IBM's Asian Diversity initiatives, where he was recognized as the "conscience & guardian" of the Asian community throughout IBM. Wes served on the boards of many professional and community organizations, such as the Business Advisory Council for the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) and international venture capital firms. He was recognized as one of the "Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business" by the Asian American Business Development Center and received the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) Dynamic Achievers Award.
Today, he advises on business development, diversity, equity and inclusion, leadership and talent development initiatives with major international universities, global corporations, and senior management teams.
Job Titles:
- Member of the CEI Executive Leadership Team
- Member of the Executives Team
- Leader in Diversity
- Principal in Deloitte Consulting Government
Winson Heng is a Principal in Deloitte Consulting Government and Public Services Practice. He provides technology and management consulting services to Public Sector clients.
Winson is a leader in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as Culture, and Veteran initiatives. He is a frequent speaker and panelists.
He serves on the Board of Directors of Ascend Greater Washington Area (GWA) Chapter. He helped launch the Ascend GWA Corporate Executive Initiative (CEI) and the Corporate Executive Leadership Program (CELP). He is a member of the National Ascend Executive Network (AEN) leadership team.
Winson serves as the Deloitte Rosslyn Office Culture Champion and is on the Deloitte National Asian and Allies Community leadership team. He previously served as Partner Champion for Deloitte's GWA FourBlock initiative and as an Advisor to the Veteran Leadership Council (VLC) GWA Chapter.
Winson is a U.S. Navy veteran and retired at the rank of Commander. He holds a B.Sc. degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an M.B.A. degree in Finance from Oklahoma City University.
Yogesh is a Partner in the PricewaterhouseCoopers Oracle Advisory practice. He has over 20 years of experience in Oracle ERP enabled business transformations for large global organizations.
Yogesh leads the Tech, Media Telecom vertical for PwC's Oracle practice. In this role he manages a sales and delivery team that focuses on clients in this industry. He also leads the Finance capability for the Oracle practice at PwC. He is responsible for recruiting and nurturing the best Finance talent in the industry. In addition to his internal roles, Yogesh is responsible for delivering some of their largest Oracle engagements including being the engagement partner for an Oracle Cloud ERP implementation for a global software client with operations in 25+ countries. Functions enabled include Finance and Procurement, as well as being the engagement partner for an acquisition integration project for one of the largest cable operators in the US.
Prior to joining PwC, Yogesh was in the Oracle ERP practice at KPMG Consulting and BearingPoint, Inc